Vitruvius, Alberti and power

Authors

  • Carolina da Rocha Lima Borges Universidade de Brasília - UnB

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18830/issn.1679-0944.n16.2016.15

Keywords:

Vitruvius, Alberti, Ornament, Decorum, Rhetoric

Abstract

The concept of Vitruvius on the ornament as an element that gives character to the building, and therefore to the city, served as the basis for the treated of Alberti.Both architects understand the ornament as compositional lines that gain legitimacy when they have a utility and a symbolic characterin architecture. Utility can be understood as an ornamental element that also responds to practical needs, such as those that ensure a civic character of the building, contributing to the city’s organization and decorum. Ornaments are theoretically determined by canons of proportion and harmony when they are thought as elements that complete the structural beauty in classical architecture. In practice, ornaments in public buildings have a compelling rhetoric and might function as a domination and legitimation tool for the ruling class.

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Author Biography

Carolina da Rocha Lima Borges, Universidade de Brasília - UnB

Doutoranda em Estética e Semiótica pela FAU-UnB (orientador: Dr. Flávio Kothe), possui graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo, é graduanda em Artes Visuais (IdA-UnB) e professora na Universidade Católica de Brasília.

How to Cite

Borges, C. da R. L. (2016). Vitruvius, Alberti and power. Paranoá, 9(16). https://doi.org/10.18830/issn.1679-0944.n16.2016.15

Issue

Section

Theory, History and Critique